Zac Brown Band joins MerleFest lineup

Back by popular demand, Zac Brown Band is scheduled to perform at MerleFest 2011, slated for April 28 to May 1.

Grammy-winners Zac Brown Band's first major label release, the double-Platinum "The Foundation," was one of Billboard's Top 20 albums of 2009. It was the first major label debut album in 18 years to yield five No. 1 hits, including "Chicken Fried" and "Free," and helped the band win a Grammy for "Best New Artist."

The band's second major label studio album, "You Get What You Give," was released September 2010, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, and has already been certified Gold by the RIAA.
The first single from the album, the No. 1 "As She's Walking Away" (with Alan Jackson), earned the band its second Grammy. The band's extensive touring schedule last year included an exciting performance at MerleFest 2010.

Zac Brown Band will appear on Thursday evening, along with Corb Lund, Town Mountain, Scythian, Del McCoury Band and Randy Travis. Thursday night's programming is sponsored by Window World.

The complete lineup of performers will join host Doc Watson on the campus of Wilkes Community College for a celebration of "traditional plus" music, a term Doc coined to describe the unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music and expanded to include Americana, country, "plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play," Doc explained.

With more than 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest is an entertainment value. Ticket purchases can be made at http://www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. Additionally, up-to-the-minute information about the festival can be obtained through the festival's e-newsletter and through Facebook and Twitter.

MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation and a celebration of "traditional plus" music. Scheduled for April 28 through May 1, the event is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.

For more information, including a complete lineup, visit http://www.merlefest.org.